When the landmark to locate a place in the city is a cemetery cum crematorium, it is scary enough to send chills down the spine.
But for the residents of MGR Nagar in Ponmalaipatti, the cemetery is a place that they have to walk by every day, to reach the main road or the nearest bus stop. And this – is least of their problems.
Pothole-riddled roads, inadequate potable water, lack of drainage system, defunct lampposts, erratic bus facility, low voltage troubles, and absence of garbage bins are among the myriad of issues plaguing the residents of this remote area.
“Our area, MGR Nagar, which encompasses around 120 households, is the ward No. 36 of the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation. Despite being in city limits, our area lacks even basic amenities,” says S.Harish, a resident of the area for the last 15 years.
The nearest bus stop is the Palaniappa mill bus stop. The mud roads leading to the bus stop have not been black topped for several years posing a hindrance to use.
While it is difficult to use the roads during the day, it is a nightmare after dark, due to non-functioning lampposts. “It is unsafe to use the roads after dark and quite a few of us, old people, have fallen and hurt ourselves several times. We cannot avoid walking as there is neither bus nor auto facility. We dread the rainy season because this place becomes inhabitable,” says Rajeswari Suresh, a 51-year-old resident.
The crematorium, which is close to the residential area, has been a health hazard as the smell of burning corpses is obnoxious.
Moreover, women and children find it a frightening sight at night. “Anti-social elements indulge in illegal activities at night in the cemetery as they watch corpses being burnt. This makes it dangerous for young girls and women to walk by the place after dusk,” says Aureen Maria, another resident.
The government officials had, nearly 10 years ago, assured setting up an electric crematorium, but that hasn’t materialised , say residents.
There is no drinking water in the area and residents use borewells to draw groundwater for their needs.
“It has been more than three years since a drinking water pipeline was laid in our area, but till date the supply has not been effected. The groundwater is brackish and unhygienic,” says Mr. Harish.
The absence of sewers is a yet another problem. Residents have formed groups and pits have been dug for every group, to collect their drainage water from kitchens and toilets in homes. There are no garbage collection points either, adding to the issue.
The residents say they have appealed a few times to government officials but in vain. Fearing residents’ backlash, none of the candidates visited the area for seeking votes, say residents.
